The Risks of Healing
Steph Wieand
Awhile back, we visited my brother and his family at their home near San Francisco. And we decided to tour Alcatraz island, now a national park with many of the prison buildings still intact and open for viewing. Honestly, I wasn’t super pumped about a prison tour, but it included a ferry ride in the […]
Divine Inbreaking
Steph Wieand
Thousands of people killed at the hands of the powerful. Buildings, houses, and towns destroyed Revolts crushed mercilessly Massive displacement Pregnant women with no place to give birth- no room in the hospital, or neighbors homes, or the inn Occupation Poverty Oppression This is a heavy place to begin. And maybe not something we want […]
Communal Formation
Steph Wieand
A modern-day parable about the formation of a community- Aunt Chip and the Great Triple Creek Dam Affair, by Patricia Polacco… What grabs me most when it comes to formation is this first page. “No one could remember a time when there wasn’t a TV in every home. Nor could they remember when they weren’t […]
Mutual Faithfulness
Steph Wieand
What a joy to engage the book of Ruth together this week. I’m drawn to the fact that it is through mutual relationship that Naomi and Ruth experience redemption in this story. God is less of a notable character here, but God’s presence is felt through other people. So what does that mutual relationship look […]
Inauspicious Openings
Steph Wieand
This summer at Mennonite Convention I went to an excellent workshop by Michelle Hershberger, Bible and Ministry professor at Hesston College. Senper was also at this one with me and I know some of our youth enjoyed her other workshops. Michelle was sharing about Hesston’s work on teaching biblical literacy through focusing on the big […]
Abundant Mercy
Steph Wieand
Psalm 51 is a prayer of confession. And in my experience, we don’t emphasize confession a lot, but I think confession can be very fertile ground. Years ago, I encountered a form of prayer that I actually think might have changed my life. It was called a Welcome prayer. A simple form of the welcome […]
A Glimmer of Hope
Steph Wieand
We have all been there before- you know, sitting around, chatting with family and friends, and someone mentions a current event, something in the news, maybe a recent political update that isn’t too uplifting. Violence in Sudan; a mall shooting in Texas; wildfires, floods, and landslides; One comment leads to another and before you know […]
The In Between
Steph Wieand
The eleven disciples went to Galilee. Eleven. I usually breeze past this part, but let’s slow down a bit. Imagine the state of this group. What had transpired the last few days was certainly close at heart for each of them. Even their group has changed. One of them is missing. And Jesus has been […]
What the World is Like: Fear and Courage
Steph Wieand
There was once a community center that served many in the community. It was a place where children came to play after school and programs were available for helping with homework and even finances. It was a place for fun, for building relationships, and of safety. One person lovingly called it the jewel of the […]
Encountering the Lord’s Prayer
Steph Wieand
Many of us have known and recited the Lord’s Prayer for much of our lives. It’s one of the most well-known passages from the New Testament. And it has been prayed by Christians around the world for generations and generations. Last semester I had the opportunity to encounter this text in a new way. First, I […]
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